Florida Attorney General found in contempt, but says it’s worth it to defend ‘Trump agenda’

A federal judge has ruled that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is in civil contempt of court for disobeying an order in a major immigration case. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams decided that Uthmeier’s actions showed a disregard for her clear judicial instructions. Despite being found in contempt, Uthmeier stated, “This Judge is considering whether or not to hold me in contempt. But I am not going to rubber-stamp her order. I’m not going to direct law enforcement to stand down on enforcing the Trump agenda and carrying out Florida’s law.”

As reported by NBC News, the case involves a Florida immigration law passed this year by Governor Ron DeSantis, which makes it a crime for someone in the country without legal status to enter or re-enter the state, treating it as a misdemeanor. Judge Williams issued a restraining order in April, temporarily stopping the enforcement of this law. After this, Uthmeier first sent a notice to state agencies informing them of the order, though he clearly disagreed with it and planned to appeal.

Just five days later, Uthmeier sent a second notice to law enforcement agencies. In this follow-up message, he said his office had challenged the restraining order in court. He also claimed that, in his opinion, no valid court order has stopped these agencies from enforcing Florida’s new immigration laws. Judge Williams ruled that this second memo directly contradicted her original order.

Florida AG causing trouble by not listening to court orders for Trump

“Litigants cannot change the plain meaning of words as it suits them, especially when conveying a court’s clear and unambiguous order,” the Judge wrote. Judge Williams also pointed to Uthmeier’s public comments in media interviews as part of her decision. She noted that he took a more confrontational tone in these interviews.

The Judge made it clear that her issue was not with Uthmeier criticizing or disagreeing with the court’s order. Instead, her contempt ruling was based on the critical need to respect the authority of court orders. She said that while he is free to voice his appeals and objections to her decisions, he cannot tell them the opposite when told to inform law enforcement that a law is blocked.

As punishment for the civil contempt, Judge Williams has ordered Uthmeier to file reports every two weeks listing any arrests or detentions made under the new immigration laws. She warned that failing to follow these corrective steps could lead to more penalties, including possible fines and fees to repay the plaintiffs for costs related to enforcing the court’s order.

Judges have been blocking Trump’s orders left and right, so it should be easy to understand that they cannot be enforced after. It seems that not even blocking an attempt to go past Congress is enough to prove that the rule of law matters to his most loyal followers.

This decision comes after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month rejected a request from Uthmeier to delay Williams’ original injunction while the appeal is pending. The appeals court judges noted Uthmeier’s “apparently defiant attitude” toward the earlier order and concluded that he had not shown a strong chance of winning his appeal.